Franklin Resources Inc. Lowers Stock Holdings in Vipshop Holdings Limited (NYSE:VIPS)

Franklin Resources Inc. reduced its holdings in Vipshop Holdings Limited (NYSE:VIPS) by 3.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 369,038 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 13,884 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in Vipshop were worth $4,971,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in Vipshop by 17.5% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 9,972 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $134,000 after acquiring an additional 1,487 shares during the period. Atomi Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Vipshop by 10.8% during the fourth quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 12,241 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $165,000 after purchasing an additional 1,191 shares in the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Vipshop in the fourth quarter valued at about $165,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of Vipshop during the fourth quarter worth about $175,000. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Vipshop during the 4th quarter worth about $210,000. 48.82% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vipshop Price Performance

Shares of Vipshop stock opened at $13.15 on Friday. Vipshop Holdings Limited has a 1-year low of $11.50 and a 1-year high of $17.94. The stock has a market cap of $6.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.53. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $15.44 and its 200-day simple moving average is $14.63.

Vipshop (NYSE:VIPS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The technology company reported $0.65 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70 by ($0.05). Vipshop had a return on equity of 20.89% and a net margin of 7.50%. The company had revenue of $4.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.82 billion. As a group, research analysts expect that Vipshop Holdings Limited will post 1.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vipshop Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed an annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Investors of record on Friday, April 11th will be given a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 11th. Vipshop’s payout ratio is currently 24.24%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on VIPS. Barclays lifted their price objective on Vipshop from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Citigroup lowered Vipshop from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $18.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, StockNews.com raised Vipshop from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vipshop has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $15.30.

Vipshop Profile

Vipshop Holdings Limited operates online platforms in the People's Republic of China. It operates in Vip.com, Shan Shan Outlets, and Others segments. The company offers womenswear, menswear, sportswear and sporting goods, shoes and bags, accessories, baby and children products, skincare and cosmetics, home goods and other lifestyle products, and supermarket products.